Reopening of School: Winter Holiday Update from Head of School

Happy New Year! I hope that you’ve enjoyed a restful and restorative break and that you are ready for all that 2022 might bring. I look forward to hearing all your holiday stories.

We couldn’t be more excited to share the news that when school resumes for students on January 11, we will be welcoming our grade 7-12 students back on campus. We were very fortunate to pilot a return to campus program before the holiday, and we appreciate the constructive feedback we received. That experience allows us to be well-positioned for the reopening next week.

The letter below will be sent to parents today, and we will host a parent Q & A this Thursday for parents of students in grades 7 – 12 about our health and safety protocols. All divisions will receive more details about reopening (physical or virtual school) from the divisional principals in the next few days.

In addition, on Monday, January 10, when the full faculty returns to campus, we will host a full faculty meeting (time to be determined) where you will work with your divisions to ensure that you are prepared and confident in the 5K protocols.

When you arrive on campus on Monday, please drop by the Plaza for a quick hello and a breakfast treat.

In the meantime, I hope you stay safe and well and enjoy the last few days of this winter holiday! Safe travels for those making their way back to Saigon!

All good wishes,

Catriona

Parent Letter, Tuesday, January 4

Dear SSIS Parents,

Happy New Year! We hope that you have enjoyed the winter break. We are excited to begin our second semester next week, Tuesday, January 11.

Before the winter break, we were very fortunate to pilot the return-to-campus program. We appreciate the constructive feedback we received.

As we successfully piloted the program and passed inspection, we are delighted to share that all students in grades 7 – 12 are welcome back to campus next week.

School on Campus for Grades 7 – 12

As we begin to welcome more students back, we are so pleased that 100% of our on-campus faculty and staff are fully vaccinated, and half already have their booster shots.

Before students in grades 7 – 12 will be allowed to start the second semester on campus, they must submit a Student Health and Travel Questionnaire. Please keep an eye out for it in your email.

Naturally, we understand that specific circumstances may prevent a student from attending school on campus. Otherwise, however, we expect to see all students in grades 7 – 12 on campus next week. We will run concurrent learning for students who cannot attend in-person school, and all parents will receive further details from their divisional principal.

Return to Campus Q & A Session, (G7-12) Thursday, January 6, 6:30 pm

To ensure that parents of students in grades 7 – 12 fully understand our health and safety measures and protocols and can have all of their questions answered, we will host a Return to Campus Q & A on Zoom this Thursday, January 6, at 6:30 pm. 

You will find the answers to some questions in these videos about our health and safety protocols. We also encourage you to consult our reopening campus web page, which addresses logistical matters of getting ready for physical school.

Virtual School for Students in EC – G6

Parents of students in EC – G6, please rest assured that teaching and learning will continue uninterrupted for your children in Virtual School, starting Tuesday, January 11 at 8:00 am.

We are currently awaiting information about the return to physical school for students in EC – G6. In addition, we are working closely with the government authorities DOET and CDC D7, and although the time frame and process of vaccinating children aged 5 – 11, we will explore all options and share any new developments with you.

I very much look forward to welcoming grades 7-12 students as they come through the turnstiles next Tuesday, and I wish all of our families a very healthy and happy remainder of the winter holiday.

All good wishes,

Dr. Catriona Moran

Head of School